Serious Acne and skin issues

[SOMALIA]

As the title states, this thread is for discussion of (predominantly) face related skin issues.

I have personally suffered from acne for 10 years now (18-28 years old) and despite others telling me that it isn't that bad or you are worrying over nothing, it does at times ruin your self-confidence. (picture attached of quite bad acne)

I have tried everything from vitamin A pills to changing my diet entirely (dairy free and 6-7 servings of veggies a day + 2l water) to using a billion different facial cleansers and masks but nothing seems to work. The worst is when people tell you to just wash your face more often (stupidest advice ever, as if people suffering with acne do not already do that...?)

Curious to hear if anyone has managed to "conquer" their acne for good and how they managed to do so.



Also, how does acne affect your day to day life?

 

[PDC]

ye ive p much had terrible acne for like 8 yrs and nowadays my skin looks better but only b/c a combo of things

- panoxyl benzoyl perox wash 2x daily
- differin gel 2x daily
- an antibiotic which i have /had to take for 3 months

i used to have really rough acne and since my skin is so pale it rlly shows, but remember that 90% of ppl have some form of acne especially adolescents. just last night i saw some stupidly hot girl, but under all her makeup you could tell she had rather severe acne (far worse than yours, or mine). it happens to everyone. u just gotta learn to conceal / take what works for you. i've found that acne actually really isn't the worst thing in the world for attractiveness. a lot of people don't care unless it's seriously severe.

 

[earl]

Nuked myself with acutane for a half year, it totally deleted my medium-severe acne, and now about a year later I only have small flare ups as a stress response. Honestly if nothing else works and it's really damaging your self-confidence I would just go for acutane if you can afford it. The half year on it is complete ass (you basically get eczema+constant blood tests+weird semi-suicidal thoughts+liver failure chance) but it was manageable enough with a lot of lotion and super-secret dermatologist chapstick.

Post acutane all I do is wash my face morning and night, apply a facial cleanser while doing so, and put on a very weak anti-acne cream each night. Basically just a normal healthy skincare routine at this point. Only scarring I have is a fatass blood blister on my forehead but my bangs cover it so it's mostly fine. Still annoying when it's visible cuz people point at my forehead and inform me that my head is "bleeding", and I'm a little self-conscious about showing my upper forehead.


As for my own perception of acne, when I have a flare up I feel it's very noticeable and does damage my self image but on the flipside I don't give any shits if another person has acne outside of extreme cases (I wouldn't care about your severity of acne) and I'd like to believe most other people are that way too.

Regardless, best of luck in the never-ending battle!

 

[HotFuzzBall]

My sisters got onto Curology and both tried to get me to get on board since it helped them with their acne/skin problems. Curology is pricey since it's a custom skincare routine they develop for your own skin care needs (they do have a free trial you could use if you want, you only have to pay for the shipping/handling cost during that trial iirc).

I personally had to test out a bunch of random face cleansers which I use twice a day, and settled with the Biore Activated Charcoal skin cleanser and then use a face moisturizer at night only and never have gotten a breakout since then.

 

[Myzozoa]

witch hazel and benzoyl peroxide, smoking weed also helps me but your mileage w that may vary, some ppl go total goblinoid w smoking weed but i usually have clearer skin the day after so...

if all else fails mineral make-up and pore concealer on your worst days.

 

[Cresselia~~]

I used to have acne problems too, but I think my skin improved after using Body Shop tea tree products.
I used to have oily skin back then, but now my skin has changed, so I stopped using tea tree products.
I still use organic products though.

 

[Torterragatr]

Note if OP reads this, absolutely do not continue taking vit A if you decide to go on Accutane, since Accutane is derived from vit A you will definitely get sick from hypervitaminosis.

Don't listen to the people who say you need to wash your face more because excessive washing encourages production of more oil.

If you're not already doing so, change pillow cases or anything that is touching your face every day, that worked miracles for me and my acne disappeared overnight but I assume you are probably already doing that.

 

[SOMALIA]

Thanks guys, i decided against accutane after weighing the pros and cons. Im currently trying cod liver oil in the highest possible safe dosage +3litres of water a day. I got very oily skin and am using zinc + niamincide; it makes my skin less oily but it makes my skin feel inflammed...torn on whether to continue using it lol.

Also, is it just me or when you get a haircut your acne improves a ton..temporarily of course? I havent had dairy for like 3 months now and to be fair my acne hasn't changed much so dont think dairy affects me.

I shower before bed and thought that using the same pillow case (for 2-3 days) would be fine but as you mentioned, the oil i put on my hair would probably be causing issues so I will change my pillow case daily

Thanks alot everyone :)

 

[earl]

Thanks guys, i decided against accutane after weighing the pros and cons. Im currently trying cod liver oil in the highest possible safe dosage +3litres of water a day. I got very oily skin and am using zinc + niamincide; it makes my skin less oily but it makes my skin feel inflammed...torn on whether to continue using it lol.

Also, is it just me or when you get a haircut your acne improves a ton..temporarily of course? I havent had dairy for like 3 months now and to be fair my acne hasn't changed much so dont think dairy affects me.

I shower before bed and thought that using the same pillow case (for 2-3 days) would be fine but as you mentioned, the oil i put on my hair would probably be causing issues so I will change my pillow case daily

Thanks alot everyone :)

Just keep trying to find what works for you man, acutane should only be taken as a last resort so it makes sense you decided against it. Best of luck

 

[Diophantine]

As the title states, this thread is for discussion of (predominantly) face related skin issues.

I have personally suffered from acne for 10 years now (18-28 years old) and despite others telling me that it isn't that bad or you are worrying over nothing, it does at times ruin your self-confidence. (picture attached of quite bad acne)

I have tried everything from vitamin A pills to changing my diet entirely (dairy free and 6-7 servings of veggies a day + 2l water) to using a billion different facial cleansers and masks but nothing seems to work. The worst is when people tell you to just wash your face more often (stupidest advice ever, as if people suffering with acne do not already do that...?)

Curious to hear if anyone has managed to "conquer" their acne for good and how they managed to do so.



Also, how does acne affect your day to day life?

I suffered from acne for about the same amount of time that you have. While it wasn't as bad as some extreme cases that I've seen, my acne was worse than the rest of my age group, so like you it had the negative impact on my self-confidence to the point where I quit my modelling job.

I also really hate the products and stuff that you can buy in your local supermarket as I found that none of them worked (maybe they reduced the effect though?). There are myths about diets, routines and general hygiene, and while some are accurate, others seem to not help. Acne is normal and in some cases genetic, usually stops in your twenties or thirties apparently.

What helped me was seeing my GP. I was prescribed Lymacycline and Epiduo I think they were called, and later on Doxycycline and Treclin gel. After about 2 months of treatment it started to clear up and after about 6 months the pigments left by the acne all disappeared. I highly recommend seeing a doctor about it. Good luck!

 

[Annika]

My advice would be to make sure you don't have underlying endocrine issues. Most of the time this isn't the case, but when it is, dealing with that can help a lot!

 

[Rugi]

From around ages 12-now I was plagued with shit tonnes of acne, mostly on my back but sometimes on my face, arms and chest.
To be honest I tried systematically doing separate treatments on and off and judging how my acne was every couple of weeks to see if anything was effective. There were really only a few things I found that made a difference for me.

1: Salicylic acid wash, basically any facewash with salicylic acid. If that does nothing maybe ask your doctor if you need an antibiotic cream or something, most are prescription so you can't get them unless the doctor recommends it.

2: Touching your face. Seriously I know it's tempting but you have to do everything in your power to not prod and poke at your face. If you have to touch your face then wash your hands properly each time. If you have long kinky or greasy hair, try to tie it down, braid it, or dread it in some way to keep it from getting shit on to your face.

3: Time. It absolutely sucks but acne is genetic. my acne when I was 15 was so shit that I think I made a Smogon thread about it. You can mitigate symptoms but it will never fully go away, even later in life. I'm not sure if it's real or not but I hear that people with acne when they are young keep good looking skin into old age so maybe take refuge in that. I dunno.

 

[Plague von Karma]

Suffered from severe stress-related eczema virtually all my life, and I get it in the worst places. A lot of the time I get it around my eyes, and since the steroid creams I have to use for other areas screw with my skin layers, it's really difficult to work with. I've had times where my eyelids are so fucked that I have issues opening them in the morning. I've been using Clobetasone (AKA: Eumovate) along with Zerobase as of recently. Clobetasone creams end up thinning the skin, so I can't use it on eyelids. Hydrocortisone, stuff I used to have to take regularly, doesn't really make an impact. For my eyelids, I've used the Zerobase stuff and had Dermol 600 in my baths.

 

[xzern]

I also took acutane when I was 15/16 for six months and for the past six years ive been completely free of acne.. I wasnt aware/wasnt told of side effects then but now that I've read up on it I realize that it may have had a hand in negatively impacting my mental health, possibly in a much longer term. It also made my face red whenever I went outside while I was taking it. I think it was a wise choice to stay away from it.

It may sound obvious, but what you eat also affects the presence of acne. If you stop eating greasy food like pizza or fried chicken or whatever it should help with managing acne.

 

[SOMALIA]

Alot of interesting posts! My acne has gone for the most part (I have no noticeable spots and 2-3 tiny pimples now, super happy!) and my skin looks very clear now, alot of the scars have pretty much went over time and I feel that this is all to do with me stopping using any product on my face. I simply wash with water or use a basic salt/sugar natural exfoliation.

The only thing that triggers a pimple or two is when I have too much sugar and I found out that my body doesnt tolerate it well.

My eating hasn't really changed so I know for sure that it's more to do with perhaps less stress and/or less products that just mess with your face.

 

[earl]

I haven't changed my schedule for treating acne since my last post and I still am virtually acne free (there's always a few on the back or upper arms but who cares tbh) and I only get face "breakouts" (read: 1-2 minor pimples) when I'm very stressed, usually during finals. Keeping stress in check seems to be my silver bullet

Acutane didn't really mess with my mental health afaik, I was in a much worse place mentally the year before I went on it, and since coming off of it I've been quite healthy mentally (this is not a result of the Acutane for the record) . For those interested, though, definitely don't mess with it if you aren't confident in your mental health and/or love your sunlight.

edit: And I got the blood blister removed! It was apparently just a wacky, red, benign tumor-mole that was chilling up there, no clue if it was actually related to the acne. Got it lopped off by my dermatologist last winter break. Nice to be able to show my forehead again

 

[PokemonCrusader]

It does severely suck suffering with it into adulthood. The mind of a mature man with the face of a teenager.

 

[UncleSam]

I suffered from bad acne as a high schooler but it cleared up ‘normally’ around the time I hit senior year of high school.
Then, freshman year of college, I randomly started getting way worse acne than I had ever had before (big nodule acne), while also getting breakouts in places I hadn’t before - I’d had only minor back breakouts and no chest breakouts in high school, and started getting breakouts on both (including awful nodule breakouts in my back). I tried a ton of different over the counter cleansers and diet changes etc. then tried prescribed antibiotics - the antibiotics helped keep it from getting worse but didn’t do more than that, and the cleansers actively made it worse I think.

In the end, after six months of little progress on antibiotics I decided to go on accutane. What people say about it is mostly true in ways you don’t fully realize at the time - you feel lethargic, get depressed, and have a hard time focusing for roughly six months. My GPA that semester was .7 lower than it ended up being in any other semester of college, and I essentially stopped 90% of my social or athletic activities and got super addicted to league of legends. Having to take monthly blood tests to check for liver damage was not fun also since I’m sensitive to needles.

Now that might all sound super awful, but I will say this - it obliterated my acne. Permanently. I get essentially no breakouts anyplace (just minor small red spots on my back from time to time), and don’t need to use any special cleansers or follow any dietary restrictions. My scarring was moderate at the time but over the last six years it has faded to be barely noticeable unless I’m under a microscope.

Obviously I have mixed feelings but if I had to choose again I’d pick Accutane again. Sure it sucks to basically lose six months of your life but in comparison to dealing with acne the rest of your life I’m certain I’m happier just having it in my past. Thankfully it seems like you’ve gotten past it, but to anyone reading this who hasn’t just know that there is in fact a solution out there that works in practically all cases (I’ve read some horror stories of it not working but those seem to be rare exceptions?), but please be aware of the serious risks involved and try to be better prepared for them than I was.

 

[The Contrast]

I'm a High-Schooler and I have acne but it's only on my back lol. I'm glad I don't have it on my face. Idk if that's common, can anyone relate?

 

[innisfree]

lol. you guys are knobs. imagine using western skincare in 2020 cud never be me.

Here is my routine. new england normal/combo skin. can answer any questions if u want.

MORNING

• First Cleanser - Cosrx Good Morning Low PH Cleanser
• Toner - Kiku High Moist Lotion
• Essence - Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence
• Moisturizer - Etude House Soon Jung 5-Panthensoside Cica Balm
• Sunscreen - Innisfree Perfect UV Protection Cream Triple Care SPF50+ PA+++
• BB Cream - Missha For Men

NIGHT

• First cleanser - Kose Speedy Cleansing Oil
• Second cleanser - Cosrx Good Morning Low PH Cleanser
• Exfoliant - Cosrx BHA Power Liquid (only ~1-2 times a week)
• Toner - Kiku High Moist Lotion
• Essence - Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence
• Moisturizer - Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream
• Occlusive - Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

 

[Heavyweapons Mann]

Do you use all of the morning ones at once/night ones at once?

 

[SupremeFashion]

lol. you guys are knobs. imagine using western skincare in 2020 cud never be me.

Here is my routine. new england normal/combo skin. can answer any questions if u want.

MORNING

• First Cleanser - Cosrx Good Morning Low PH Cleanser
• Toner - Kiku High Moist Lotion
• Essence - Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence
• Moisturizer - Etude House Soon Jung 5-Panthensoside Cica Balm
• Sunscreen - Innisfree Perfect UV Protection Cream Triple Care SPF50+ PA+++
• BB Cream - Missha For Men

NIGHT

• First cleanser - Kose Speedy Cleansing Oil
• Second cleanser - Cosrx Good Morning Low PH Cleanser
• Exfoliant - Cosrx BHA Power Liquid (only ~1-2 times a week)
• Toner - Kiku High Moist Lotion
• Essence - Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence
• Moisturizer - Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream
• Occlusive - Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

Yikes.

I seriously hope you do not use even half of these products, let alone all of them. Cancer is on your way, and it's coming fast if you continue to use all of this crap.


The secret to solving acne is to remove foods in your diet that are causing you issues. For many people this includes all fiber, dairy, vegetables, sometimes even fruit and meat. It takes a while but eventually you find the foods that are causing issues and removing them makes everything better.

Using "products" (scams) is absolutely STUPID. You are ruining your skin long term and not solving the root issue.

 

[earl]

For many people this includes all fiber

 

[Gray]

I remember having cheek acne for about 2 years straight back in my freshman and sophomore year of high school, enough to give me a what seems to be permanent fear of people looking at me even after it was gone. It's a bit much to say acne gave me slight depression but it was the reason I didn't have the courage to do a lot of things and left me with many regrets as well as giving me a lot of self-hated.

Fortunately my face is just about completely clear after a last desperate attempt of Curology which I saw on an instagram ad and it worked amazingly. My self-esteem is no longer at an all-time low because of it and I know all skin is different, but I can't help but recommend Curology after my experience with it.

For anyone thats suffering from acne, please don't put yourself down. I know it feels like it can't be helped to have a lower self-esteem, but I and anyone who really cares for you wouldn't look at you any differently, I PROMISE.

 

[clean]

Yikes.

I seriously hope you do not use even half of these products, let alone all of them. Cancer is on your way, and it's coming fast if you continue to use all of this crap.


The secret to solving acne is to remove foods in your diet that are causing you issues. For many people this includes all fiber, dairy, vegetables, sometimes even fruit and meat. It takes a while but eventually you find the foods that are causing issues and removing them makes everything better.

Using "products" (scams) is absolutely STUPID. You are ruining your skin long term and not solving the root issue.

There is some truth to this statement.

I agree that the person who uses 6 products in the morning and 6 different ones at night is probably going to harm their skin in the long run. While changing your diet helps some people, it does a whole lotta nothing for many others.

For me, no amount of skincare products and diet alteration worked until I took accutane. That drug worked like no other method.